Girl be Cuh-Razy!

Last night, my husband opened for a band here in Salt Lake that he has opened for many times since I moved to Utah in 2007.  (We'll call them RB and they are great).  Being at this show reminded my husband and I of a story that happened back when I FIRST moved to Utah and I felt the urge to write it down.  I had almost completely forgotten about this incident and I feel it is worthy to have in my blog so that I can go back and read it in five years and remember just what happened... So here it goes:

When I moved to Utah, I had already had a couple phone interviews to work as a marketing liaison for a Home-Health/Hospice company in SLC.  J and I decided that if I got an in-person interview, I would move.  Well the interview was offered so I told all my friends/family I was moving to Utah in just over a week.  J flew out and we drove my car (all my crap) to my new home: Utah.  The afternoon before my interview (which was basically just a formality as they told me I was a shoe-in), the company called me and said the lady who was retiring decided to stay on for a few more years, thus... the position was no longer available.  Damn.

I needed a job!  BAD!  At the same time, one of J's exes had been calling/texting him religiously saying that she had a job opportunity for me that would be perfect for my background.  (Let's refer to her as CT for the sake of the blog).  He kept not responding to her, explaining that she was a little crazy and that he doesn't trust her as far as he could throw her.  Being the new girlfriend, and desperate for a job, I told him I would go meet with her.  Because who knows, maybe she actually did have a job opportunity for me! And if not, at least I could then have a reason to be like QUIT CALLING MY BOYFRIEND.  :)

So CT and I scheduled a time and date to meet at her home and discuss this amazing marketing opportunity.  I dressed nice, not interview nice, but still business casual.  When I showed up, there was no house to match the address she gave me.  I gave her a quick call to discover that she had given me a completely wrong address.  No big deal I thought.  CT must have been confused by giving me the wrong city, street and house number.   

*note to self: that should have been a HUGE red flag.

 When I finally arrived at her home, she opened the door in sweats, no make-up, hair unwashed and in a knot on top of her head.  Interesting.  CT must have just finished working out, I assumed. 

*note to self: Another HUGE Red Flag.

She invited me in and proceeded to give me a long-winded intro about how she had my job solution.  She wanted me to do marketing for bands with her company.  She claimed she had already been in talks with her first band, RB, and that her marketing plan was going to blow the music biz out of the water!  What was this plan, you ask? 


Construction paper.  Colored construction paper.  Not just by itself.  No, colored construction paper folded into small, tight squares with inspirational words written on them in marker.  These inspirational words were things like "Money" ... "Success" ... "Passion"  ....  Then... she brought in a lighter (oh, heck no... CT and fire seemed like a bad idea) and proceeded to lightly burn the corners of said construction paper.  I somehow convinced her that tape was a better option and thus we then covered each square with tape.  Oh yes, these square construction paper concoctions were going to change the world! 

Somehow during this construction paper chaos where I SERIOUSLY thought I was being Punk'd and Ashton's annoying self was going to appear at any moment, I noticed that she had picked out a rather LARGE knife and was now keeping it near her.  Yes, KNIFE.  LARGE one.  In her hand.  I started to panic.  I obviously already realized that this girl was bat-shit crazy so I started noting all the exits and paying more attention to our spacing around the kitchen. 

Luckily, a random guy came to the door to pick up his ice-chest so she forgot about all the construction paper and changed into a whirl-wind of other ideas about energies within her house.  She invited me downstairs to go over something to do with a computer, and noting that the knife was in the kitchen still, I went with her.  In the basement, she explained that in order to do our job properly we will need to clear our energies and open them to inspiration.  How do we get that inspiration, you ask?

Printer Paper.  Oh yes, White Printer Paper.  Not just as is... no, no,no.  You must wad this printer paper into a ball.  And then, you must throw this printer paper ball at the wall.  Not just any spot on the wall, a specific spot on a specific wall.  Did I see this "spot"?  Heck no.  But I went along with it to keep her calm and thus hurry the process along so I could get out of there ASAP! 

After a good ten minutes of throwing the beloved printer paper, we went back up stairs where I explained I had a lunch meeting and needed to leave.  NOW.  She proceeded to go into a long, AWKWARD rant about how much she loves J and how amazing he is and all these things that really should not have been said because they were outright CREEPY.  She opened one of our beloved construction paper creations and wrote "Green Light"... she said it was her love letter to J and asked if I would deliver it to him.  With that, she let me know she would be ready to hire me whenever I wanted to start work and gave me a long, weird hug.

....

The moment I got in my car, I called J.... I was in shock.  Was there really a person THAT crazy?!  He said he heard she had gotten into "some stuff" and was probably high as a kite.  Indeed, that was DEFINITELY true.  She was a complete nutcase and I immediately felt bad for RB for having to put up with whatever rants she had been giving them.  I told J every detail of my weird 2-hour twilight-zone morning and how I had tried to leave several times.  AND... about how I seriously thought she might attack me with the knife. 

We laugh about it now and she is still crazy every time we run into her at a RB show.  She seriously thinks my name is Migo... as in Mee-go.   Which has become a long-time inside joke between J, me and two of our other friends :)  

So that is the story.  The story of how I survived the crazyness that is CT.  I will close this post with some advice.... Drugs are bad. 

That is all.

Embrace it

A sorority sister of mine (and dear friend) recently had a post about "Girl-on-Girl Hate" and the unfortunate reality that women like to hate on each other for no reason at all.  I highly recommend going to read her post and the article she sites. 

Girl-on girl hatred is unfortunate and sad but it's also inevitable.  Many times over the course of my life, especially in college, I dressed for females.  Sure, I wanted the guys to think I looked hot... but mostly I didn't want to be ridiculed by the girls.  This became ever apparent with my college boyfriend. He was the jealous type and thus restricted my clothing options... no skirts too short, no noticeable cleavage, etc.  But when I went out, I wasn't worried about the guys... I dressed for the girls.  I wanted them to think I was cute... that I was worthy to date that guy... and on and on.  Ridiculous. 

I have never been into fashion and have always just worn what I feel good in.  Which usually means anything sleeveless.  I have a long way to go before my arms are where I won't take every picture with my hand on my hip, but sleeveless is comfortable.  Sleeveless is me.   

Where is this going, you ask?  While on Pinterest today I saw a really cute way to take an over-sized flannel shirt and turn it into a cute SLEEVELESS option. 

via

The pin (random stranger's) had the description that this was a cute idea but kind of slutty.   OK.  REALLY?!  Slutty?  I don't know why but it just kind of pissed me off.   If I saw a girl wearing this in public I would think... "Creative" .... "Cute" .... "Fun"  .... Not Slutty.  I was annoyed. 

Since being married, I quit dressing for the girls and started dressing for me.  I wear what makes me feel sexy.  Because I know if I feel like I look good, that attitude will come across.  And my husband takes notice.  Whenever I wear something I am excited about, he always comments about how good I look.  Thus, him loving the outfit makes me want to wear it even more so he likes what he sees ;) 

I am lucky in that I chose a guy who doesn't care how I dress.  I want to rock the cleavage shirt? Great!  I want the flannel and silly hat?  Awesome!  I want the super short dress with the high heels? Do it!  Now when I see girls hate on my outfits, I brush it off because I don't care what they think when my husband thinks I look beautiful :) 

Funny thing is, I met my husband wearing a very scandalous shirt.  You can't really tell from this photo because I cropped off the bottom many years ago... but let's just say it was all boob.

 And to this day, I ENJOY wearing cleavage shirts.  Why?  Because one day soon I won't be able to.  And on that day, I'll look back and know I rocked the shit out of those shirts/dresses.  :)

So I guess the moral of this post is... go with what makes you feel the best.  Every woman out there... EVERY woman out there should feel like a million bucks each time she walks into a room.  Whether it be in your favorite black dress or your most comfortable jeans and T.  We should dress for us.  And all the girls that are "hating" on you are only doing so because they are insecure and unsure about themselves.  Don't take it personally because it is actually just a reflection of their own insecurities. 

The medicine man my husband and I visit said something that stuck with me.  He said that once a woman is married, it shouldn't mean she becomes the perfect image of modesty.  If she wants to rock the "slutty" outfit, then by all means, rock it.  But rock it with all of that energy directed toward her husband and her husband alone.  I love that idea and I embrace it.  :) 

End Rant. 

This is your Brain on the Flu

Well my wonderful husband has been in LA all week doing some recording which means I had the house to myself (and Cleo) for 7 days!  I was ecstatic to buckle down and do some much needed cleaning, organizing, and work.  But alas, the flu reared its ugly head on Tuesday night.  Which means I have been holed up at home while fighting off a fever and feeling completely miserable!  The most I have moved the last few days is to refill my water, pee and take Cleo to pee. 

With that being said, I feel like I have had total Flu Head.  And for the first time in a VERY long time (12 years), all I have wanted is to go to the gym and do a little working out.  This is very unlike me as I generally use the excuse, it's too early/late/cold/hot/annoying to go to the gym.  But I have been restricted by doctors since January 4th from doing ANY type of physical activity due to my asthma and now my flu.  It's driving me crazy.  I HATE being told that I can't do something.  It gets under my skin and makes me obsess over it in a way to prove them wrong.  This is a health thing.  I understand that.  I understand that I have asthma.  I understand that Utah makes it worse due to the pollution.  But golly gee, it's driving me insane!  I have a cruise to prepare for people!  And I am the first to know that I have to do something when the motivation is there before it gets piled into a box titled "one day soon."  But let's get realistic, if I actually made it to the gym then I would last probably 3 minutes before deciding I was too ill to do any good and would whimper back to my car while thinking that my 3 minutes might have prolonged my sickness another 24 hours.  So...

I started loading up on extra vitamin D and now have eye drops from the doc which will hopefully help.  Tomorrow is also the first day I am not contagious! Yay! And I get to see my lovely husband sometime between now and tomorrow morning.. Double Yay!

With all this flu head going around I would like to leave you with this little bit of joy:

Taboo or Truth?

I get tired of the radio playing the same tunes over and over and over and over.... so I like to listen to podcasts when I travel for work.  My favorite podcast is called "Stuff Mom Never Told You" by the How Stuff Works crew.   I find their discussion hilarious and their topics interesting.  I usually end up sitting in the car and just giggling for the entire thing.

Recently they had a podcast that discussed Sexual Education in schools.  I recommend going to iTunes and downloading them because I am just touching on my personal opinion :)

I think Sex Ed is a VERY important part of school curriculum.  It's crazy to me when I hear friends say that it was NEVER discussed in school!  That they never had a day dedicated to it or a class discussion.  It irritates me when I find out that they were taught Abstinence only.  First off - there's no proof that abstinence only education delays sexual activity.  And if you aren't teaching your kids about sex then I guarantee you they are learning about it from someone else, the tv or the internet.

My school in Oklahoma had the puberty talk in 5th grade, the condom and sexual safety talk in 6th grade, then finally the birthing video and sex education course in HighSchool. My senior year in high school all the girls and guys were divided and bussed to a "Sex Ed Field Trip" ... it was a full day event where they discussed/showed-scary-pictures-of STD's, pregnancies, genitalia, etc.  They talked about the different kinds of sex and the risks associated with each one.  They also had an anonymous question and answer session where girls asked everything from menstrual questions to sex toy options.  Believe it.  Being the prude little 18 year old I was, I was horrified.  But it gave me knowledge that I think was crucial to being a female and knowing what to expect from here on out. 

Virginity pledges generally delay sexual activity for about 18 months if it is a tight group such as a youth group but the pledge does not have ANY effect statistically on contracting STD's.  That's right folks ANY effect.  That means that although you may delay your kids from starting their sexual revolution, you're not saving them any of the woes that come with the territory.  When I was a kid, I took a virginity pledge with my church.  I wore that ring on my finger until it split in half my freshman year of college... that's right ... it just randomly split in half.  Maybe that was God's little message?  Maybe. 

Did you know 1 in 4 college students will contract an STI by the time they graduate? That is some scary stuff right there.  Especially with all the booze floating around during that time.    I think when it comes to Sex Ed, health and safety should be identified and discussed rather than just scare tactics about pregnancy and STDs.  Not only the likelihood of how often condoms work but also about various options of female contraceptive.  I didn't have the "sex talk" with my parents (other than the virginity pledge) until I was 18!  18!  Seriously.  I had heard about things at school since I was 12.  A little delayed there but nice attempt.

The Kaiser Family Foundation found that 98% of parents they polled want HIV and AIDS discussed and 85% say they want condoms discussed.  The US has one of the highest pregnancy rates in the developed world!  Sex should not be taboo.  It should be discussed maturely and honestly.

Well those are my two cents.  End Rant ;)

This little video from Disney was a standard puberty education tool from the mid 40's through 1960.  Besides being hilarious, please take notes of the topics addressed around 7 minutes.  As in, showering, exercising and making yourself beautiful.  Hilarious.

Tell them Often...

Tonight was the viewing for my friend who passed away this week.  Saturday morning is the funeral.  I really wish I could be there...

I just wanted to do a quick post to remind whoever might read it that you need to tell those who are dear to you that you love them.  Tell them often! Tell them now.  Even if you think they already know, tell them again anyways.  You never know when it could be the last time you get a chance. 

The most important people in my life... my wonderful family :)

Gone too soon...

wow.  I am so at a loss for words but I feel I need to write something down regardless.  I woke this morning to find a text message from one of my longtime friends telling me that a friend of ours passed away last night.  I was shocked.  And speechless.  And sad.

I haven't talked to him since I left Oklahoma but that doesn't mean I didn't think of him often.  We were "friends" on facebook and I always enjoyed seeing his silly posts come across my feed.  He was a good friend and a GREAT guy. 

Seeing all the posts about him flood my facebook just reinforce what an amazing guy he was.  He touched every person he met with his infectious sense of humor, his silly zest for life and his caring nature.  I think most people would agree that JT was like a big teddybear.  He was big and tall and gave you the kind of hug that made you feel safe.  It was the ultimate bear hug. 

Jt was the the funny guy.  The guy who would treat you like you were his best friend after knowing him for half an hour.  Always going the extra mile to make sure everyone in the room was laughing and enjoying themselves.  I remember the first time I drove him around when I turned 16.  I had a celica convertible and he was too tall to fit in it.  So after I took the top down he was able to sit in the seat but his head went above the top of the windshield.  We thought it was the funniest thing and joked about forcing him to ride in my car all the time.  It became our own little inside joke.  And all the times in high school when he would just pick me up out of nowhere as if I was just some ragdoll.  Or the silly senior skit we got paired up for.  When I left for college, I would occasionally see him out and about in Norman.  It was like time hadn't skipped a beat.  No matter how long it had been since I had seen him, he'd always greet you with a big ol' smile and a huge bear hug.  That was Jt.  I will miss him dearly but am honored I knew him at all. 

My thoughts and prayers go out to your family, your girlfriend and your beautiful little girl.  Sorry for not being a better friend and staying in touch these past few years.  May you rest in peace.

Why I like Ska Shows... or Random Thoughts by Meg

Today's post is short and sweet :)  So one of J's friends, Matt, plays in the band Reel Big Fish.  Every time they come anywhere near Salt Lake, we make time to hang with Matt and go see his show.  So far that has been in Vegas, St. George and Salt Lake.

I have to tell you, I am kind of a music snob.  I am very opinionated about what I like and what I don't.  Don't get me wrong, I love all sorts of artists and genres but I can be turned off by a band very easily as well.  With that being said....

I LOVE SKA SHOWS!  

Do I listen to ska regularly? No. It's slim to none that you'll find me bumping it in my lil Civic, but the shows are incredible!

There is some sort of honesty that you see at the Reel Big Fish shows that is rare among musicians today.  Of course they have their silly choreography (which is a total hoot in my opinion) but the freshness of them just having a good time on stage is priceless.

Too often these days, musicians go through the motions.  They're jaded, tired, or have their head too far up their own bum to have a good time.  Every time I have seen Reel Big Fish live, there is this weird sense of joy.  No ego to hide behind.  Just a group of guys doing what they love for their living and being appreciative that so many people stand behind their music.

Other bands should take note.  When you're in the business of creative emotion, the crowd feels it.  And if it's fake, I can't help but assume that you are too.

So go see Reel Big Fish next time they come to a town near you.  And bring your dancing shoes ;)